1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a message searching system and a terminal, which displays information obtained from a computer communications network, such as the Internet. For those designated countries, which permit the incorporation by reference, the following patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Appln. No. H8-9521 filed on Jan. 23, 1996
2. Appln. No. H8-67278 filed on Feb. 28, 1996
3. Appln. No. H8-139689 filed on May 10, 1996
4. Appln. No. H8-139690 filed on May 10, 1996
5. Appln. No. H8-163679 filed on Jun. 5, 1996
Application Ser. No. 09/125,833 filed Feb. 26, 1997, entitled xe2x80x9cCommunication System Capable of Providing User with Picture Meeting Characteristics of User and Terminal Equipment and Information Providing Device Used for the Same,xe2x80x9d now U.S. Pat. No. 6,157,9466, issued Dec. 5, 2000.
Application Ser. No. 09/633,407 filed Aug. 7, 2000, entitled xe2x80x9cAdvertising Supported Internet Access Service.xe2x80x9d
Application Ser. No. 09/125,894 filed Aug. 27, 1998, entitled xe2x80x9cCommunication System for Distributing Such Message as Advertisement to User of Terminal Equipment.xe2x80x9d
Application Ser. No. 09/206,385 filed Dec. 7, 1998, entitled xe2x80x9cInformation Provider, Terminal And System And Recording Medium For The Terminal.xe2x80x9d
application Ser. No. 09/117,331 filed Nov. 6, 1998, entitled xe2x80x9cSystem For Displaying Two Independent Images From Network.xe2x80x9d
Application Ser. No. 09/276,708 filed Mar. 26, 1999, entitled xe2x80x9cTerminal Which Stores Information on Communication Network in Local Memory Automatically.xe2x80x9d
2. Description of Related Art
Various kinds of information are available to users through communications networks such as the Internet and other personal computer networks such as Bulletin Board Services (BBS), etc. Typically, a terminal, such as a personal computer, is connected via a modem and a telephone line, local area network, or wide area network, etc., to a computer, such as a xe2x80x98serverxe2x80x99, operated by an information provider. A user, using his own terminal, can access whatever data the information provider makes available. A user can also access other information providers through the communications network to which the first information provider is connected. Thus, a user can receive information from various information providers.
An information provider or some enterprise connected to the information provider identifies a user based on a unique user ID and a password to determine whether to provide access to the information to the user and may charge a fee for providing information.
Information supplied to the user is typically displayed in a single window on the user""s computer or terminal display. The user can scroll displayed information or switch to a submenu screen. An information provider may provide designated information selected by the user together with additional information such as an advertisement. The additional information is displayed in the same window as the designated information sought by the user.
In a typical arrangement, when a user scrolls his display the additional information, being in the same window, disappears. This prevents the additional information (such as an advertisement) from being efficiently provided to the user. This is a problem for the advertiser. To overcome this problem, Japanese Patent Application H8-67279, which is commonly owned with this application, proposes an arrangement for displaying two separate and distinct windows on a user""s display. One of the two windows displays the designated information requested by the user. The other of the two windows is for the additional information, such as an advertisement. Advertisements displayed in the second window can be selected, based on a user characteristic profile, so as to be appropriate for a particular user. Such a profile might include characteristics such as, but not limited to, age, gender, marital status, a previously expressed interest, etc.
As a user""s characteristics change over time, the advertisements presented in the second window can be changed based on the users changed profile. For example, some advertisements may target a particular age range.
Information available via communications networks, such as the Internet, change significantly over time. Therefore it is desirable to be able to supply selected information related to newly available content and for a computer or terminal to be able to keep track of a user""s characteristic profile. It is also desirable to be able to keep track of a plurality of user characteristic profiles even when a plurality of users have copied and use the same program to access information. This invention was conceived to provide a message searching system and a terminal, which can meet such objectives.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a message searching system. It includes a message user database for storing user characteristics profiles. A computer or terminal is connected to the message searching system through a communication line. A transmittal condition database stores a list of messages that can be transmitted to the computer. Each message listing includes a message ID and searching conditions that should be satisfied before a particular message should be sent for display. Means are provided for determining when it is necessary to revise a characteristics profile when communicating with a user. Means are provided for revising the characteristics profile when necessary. Means are provided for reading the characteristics profile of a terminal user in response to a request from the terminal. Means are provided for searching the transmittal condition database based on the characteristics profile read from the message user database and locating IDs of messages to be sent to the user.
As one example, the characteristics profile might include each user""s birth date and the last communication date associated with that user. The detector determines that the characteristics profile needs to be revised when the date obtained by adding a predetermined value to the user""s birth date has already passed at the time of user""s connection to the message searching system and is after the last revision.
Means are provided for adding a new item (data field) to the message user database, and means for storing an indicator, such as an xe2x80x98item revision timexe2x80x99 when the new item was added to the message user database. The detector determines that the user""s characteristics profile needs to be revised when the last communication date is before the item revision time. As an alternative, the detector might determine that the characteristics profile needs to be revised when the date obtained by adding a predetermined value to the user""s birth date has already passed at the time of the user""s connection to the message searching system and that connection has occurred after the latest item revision time of the transmittal condition database. As another alternative, the detector might simply determines that the characteristics profile needs to be revised when the last revision time is before the item revision time.
Means are provided for comparing the characteristics profile revision time of a particular user who is using the terminal, the revision time being stored in the terminal, with the characteristics revision time stored in the message user database when the terminal is connected to the message searching system. This is particularly helpful when a plurality of users use the same terminal. Means are provided for transmitting the characteristics profile in the message user database to the terminal when the characteristics revision time in the message user database is after the characteristics revision time in the terminal.
Means are provided for comparing the characteristics revision time of the user who is using the terminal, which is stored in the terminal, with the characteristics revision time in the message user database. When the data in the message user database is lagging that which is stored in the terminal, the message user database is updated.
There us provided a database for storing ID information for identifying each of a plurality of user items, as well as attributes, and range and size of each item. The message user database includes an ID for each user, which corresponds to his characteristics.
The invention also provides a terminal that communicates through a communication line with a message searching system which contains characteristics of users of a plurality of terminals. The terminal has a storage for storing characteristics of users of the terminal, and a detector for detecting a necessity to revise the characteristics when communicating with the message searching system. The terminal requests through a communication line a dialog for revising the characteristics of the user of the terminal when the necessity of revision is detected. The terminal revises the characteristics stored in the storage using the dialog received from the communication line.
According to one aspect of the invention, the terminal stores the user""s birth date and date of last communication with the message searching system. The characteristic profile is revised based on whether the date obtained by adding a predetermined period to the user""s birth date has already passed at the time of the communication with the message searching system and is after the last communication date.
The terminal is provided with means for receiving from the message user database an item revision time indicating when a new item (data field) was added to the message user database. The detector determines that it is necessary to revise the characteristics stored in the storage when the last communication date is before the item revision time.
According to one aspect of the invention, the terminal stores the user""s birth date and the characteristic revision time. The detector detects a necessity to revise the characteristics based on whether the date obtained by adding a predetermined period to the user""s birth date has already passed at the time when the user connects to the message searching system and is after the last revision time.
The terminal can further include means for receiving an item revision time indicating when a new item was added to the message user database, from the message user database. The detector determines that it is necessary to revise the characteristics stored in the storage when the last revision time is before the item revision time.
According to one aspect of the invention, the message searching system contains characteristics of each user. The terminal includes means for comparing the characteristics revision time about the user of the terminal, which is stored in the storage, with the characteristics revision time stored in the message searching system, when the terminal is connected to the message searching system; and means for transmitting the characteristics stored in the storage to the message searching apparatus when the characteristics revision time stored in the message searching system is before the last revision time of the message information stored in the storage.
According to another aspect of the invention, the terminal includes means for comparing the characteristics revision time of the user of the terminal, which is stored in the terminal, with the characteristics revision time stored in the message searching system. Means are provided for downloading characteristics stored in the message searching system when the characteristics revision time stored in the message searching system is after the characteristics revision time stored in the terminal. Further, means are provided for revising the characteristics stored locally in the terminal.
The terminal has a detector for detecting that the characteristics stored locally have been revised by the user. Means are provided for uploading locally revised characteristics to the message searching system.
The terminal can be provided with a CPU for processing information. The terminal has a storage for storing process information which is to be read and processed by CPU. The terminal also has a memory for storing the location where the process information is stored in the storage. Means are provided for inputting ID information for identifying the user of the terminal. Determination means are provided for determining the location of the process information in the storage when processing the process information. Re-input means are provided for requesting the user of the terminal to input the ID again when the location of the process information stored in the memory is different from the location of the process information determined by the determination means. User determination means are provided for determining that, when the ID inputted through the input means is different from the ID inputted through the re-input means, the user who is using the terminal is different from the user who originally inputted the ID through the input means.
The terminal has input means including means for inputting a user password. A re-input means includes means for requesting the user to input the password again when the location of the process information stored by the memory is different from the location of the process information determined by the determination means. The user determination means includes means for determining that, when the password inputted through the input means is different from the password inputted through the re-input means, a user who is using the terminal is a different person from the user who originally inputted the ID.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided process information to be executed by a CPU. Alternatively, the process information may be data which is read out by the CPU. The terminal further including means for communicating with an information processor through a communication line. It also includes means for inquiring whether the ID and the password which were inputted through the re-input means are registered in the information processor, when the user determination means determines that a user who is using the terminal is a different person from the user who originally inputted the ID through the input means.